Prospect Talent Score

Probability of Success

History

2010-11: Nikita Zadorov skated for the CSKA-Moscow U16 and U17 teams and played for Russia in the U16 Four Nationals tournament. In 45 games he scored 5 goals with 22 assists and had 62 penalty minutes. In five games in the Russian (U17) championship he had 2 assists and was plus-four with 4 penalty minutes.

2011-12: Zadorov played for CSKA-Red Army in Russia’s MHL (U22 minor league) as a 16-year-old and represented Russia in the U17 World Hockey Challenge and 2012 U18 World Junior Championship. He scored 2 goals with 4 assists and was plus-20 with 63 penalty minutes in 41 regular season games and in eight playoff games was plus-two with 8 penalty minutes. He skated in six games at the WHC and had 3 assists with 12 penalty minutes. In six games at the U18 WJC he scored 2 goals and was plus-four. Zadorov was selected by the London Knights (OHL) in the 1st Round (ninth overall) in the 2012 CHL Import Draft.

2012-13: Zadorov was one of the top defenseman for a London Knights team that finished with the Ontario Hockey League’s best record. In 63 regular season games he was plus-33 and scored 6 goals with 19 assists; amassing 54 penalty minutes. Zadorov was a candidate for Russia’s U20 team but was not selected for the team that competed in Ufa. He was ranked 30th among North American skaters in the Central Scouting mid-term rankings and 22nd in the final rankings and was selected by Buffalo in the first round (16th overall) in the 2013 NHL Draft.

Talent Analysis

Zadorov is a not-so-gentle giant on the blueline. He is personable off the ice, but plays with a mean streak once the game starts. Viewed as one of the cornerstones of the rebuilding project in Buffalo, he has the size and physicality to dominate. His zeal to lay out his opponents with the big hit can take him out of the play but he should become more discerning as he gains experience. Zadorov is an effective stay-at-home blueliner but has some offensive tools. He has a solid shot and can make a strong first pass to generate the transition.

Future

Zadorov is skating in the NHL as a 19-year-old and has shown promise on a Sabres team that has been overmatched most nights, struggling to score goals. Still fairly raw in terms of his positional play and overall game, he has the physical tools and skating ability to be a Victor Hedman-type defenseman capable of logging a lot of minutes. He is still developing at this point but should fit very nicely on a top pairing as the defensively responsible, crease-clearer.

Photo: Team Russia players Nikita Zadorov (L) and Anton Slepyshev celebrate Zadorov’s go-ahead goal in their country’s 5-3 win over the USA at the 2014 World Junior Championship (courtesy of ANDREAS HILLERGREN/AFP/Getty Images)

After falling behind Team USA 3-2 in the first period of their quarterfinal match at the 2014 World Junior Championship, Russia proceeded to score the next three goals in the game to secure a 5-3 win along with a trip to the semi-finals.

Photo: Defenseman Brady Austin has provided a steadying presence along the London Knights blue line. Austin started the 2013-14 season with the Belleville Bulls, but was traded to the Knights on October 9th. (courtesy of Aaron Bell/OHL Images)

Saying the Buffalo Sabres are off to a tumultuous start would be an understatement. With just six wins in 30 games, their point percentage of .233 projects to be the worst in franchise history. The Sabres have recently put together better performances under interim head coach Ted Nolan, but remain dead last in the NHL.

Photo: London Knights defenseman and Buffalo Sabres prospect Nikita Zadorov returned to junior hockey in style last week, picking up three assists in Russia’s 5-2 win over the OHL in the Subway Super Series (courtesy of Aaron Bell/OHL Images)

Buffalo, NY is just over 230 kilometres away from London, ON — but the distance between the OHL and the NHL is far greater. But when the Buffalo Sabres decided to return 6’5 blueliner Nikita Zadorov to the junior league’s Knights, London’s dreams of a Memorial Cup win just got a whole lot closer to reality.

Photo: Forward Zemgus Girgensons is one of four teenagers to play for the Buffalo Sabres this season. The Latvian-born Girgensons was selected 14th overall in the 2012 NHL Draft. (courtesy of Jeanine Leech/Icon SMI)

Currently amid a full-scale rebuild, the Buffalo Sabres have 43 prospects in their system, including seven first-round picks, giving them both quantity and quality at every position. The Sabres also have many prospects already contributing at the NHL level, including forwards Zemgus Girgensons, Mikhail Grigorenko, and Johan Larsson.

Photo: Forward Gustav Possler tries to score for Team Sweden during the 2013 USA Hockey Junior Evaluation Camp in August. Possler was selected by the Buffalo Sabres in the fifth round of the 2013 NHL Draft. (courtesy of Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)